THE Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is to close its branch in Ellesmere Port as part of a nationwide cull.

It is not yet clear how many staff will be made redundant or whether there will be opportunities for them to be redeployed elsewhere within the bank.

The axing of the branch in Whitby Road is part of a much bigger restructuring programme which will see 162 branches close across Wales and England.

The Ellesmere Port branch is due to close its doors on August 9.

In North Wales, the bank is to close branches in Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and Wrexham leaving just one branch in the region.

Unite, which represents the bank’s workforce, has said the closure plans have shocked staff who have been told the closures will hit 993 members of staff across the country.

A spokesman said: “Today employees have finally been told of their dark futures because the bank has been calamitously managed for too long.

“As a result of these closures the overwhelming majority of customers will find themselves without access to full banking facilities

He added nationally: “Affected branches will close in two tranches, the first in July and August with the remainder closing in October and November.”

RBS blamed the changes in the way customers use banks for the closures.

A spokesman for the Royal Bank of Scotland said: “The way customers bank with us has changed radically over the last few years. Since 2014, branch transactions across England & Wales are down 30%. During this same period, there has been a 53% increase in the number of customers using mobile banking.

"We now provide our customers with more ways to bank with us than ever before, customers can choose from a range of digital, face-to-face and local options to suit their needs.”